Guitar



(No Model.)

J. P. STRATTON. GUITAR.

No. 496,706. Patented May 2, 1893.

Jay.- 2.

W/TNESSES:

A 770/?NEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT Trice.

JOHN F. STRATTON, OF BROOKLYN, NEYV YORK.

GUITAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 496,706, dated May 2, 1893.

Application filed January 13, 1893. Serial No. 458,238. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN F. STRATTON, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guitars, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to providecertain new and useful improvements in guitars, whereby the performer is enabled to conveniently and quickly change the stringing 0f the instrument by using either gut or metallic strings, at the same time increasing the volume and purity of the tone when metallic strings are used.

The invention consists of an auxiliary bar or lever secured to the bridge and engaging the strings at the top in the rear of the bridge fret.

The invention also consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be hereinafter described and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improvement as applied. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section of the same on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

In guitars as heretofore constructed and provided with gut strings, the latterare fastened at their lower ends to pegs secured on the bridge. Now, many players desire to use the metallic strings and in order to enable them to quickly change the ordinary guitar to employ metallic strings, I provide the following improvements which permit of changing the stringing of the instrument at any time, from gut strings to metallic strings and vice versa.

The bridge A is of the usual construction and is provided at its top near the forward edge with a fret B over which pass the metallic strings to extend under an auxiliary bar or lever 0, arranged parallel to the fret B in the rear of the same and secured at its ends by screws or other means, to the bridge A. The rear ends of the strings then extend to a tail piece E of any approved construction and held on the body of the instrument, as plainly shown in Fig. l. The auxiliary bar or lever 0 extends over the apertures D formed in the bridge A and ordinarily containing the pegs on which the gut strings are fastened.

The top of the bridge A is slightly beveled, as plainly indicated in Fig. 3, so that that part of the strings extending between the fret B and the bar 0 is inclined downwardly from the top of the fret to the under side of the bar 0, as plainly indicated in the figure referred to.

In order to prevent a sidewise slipping of the individual strings, I form the underside of the auxiliary bar or lever O with notches O engaging the strings as plainly shown in Fig. 2. Now, it will be seen that the strings are firmly pressed onto the top of the fret B, so that the volume and purity of the tone of the instrument are considerably increased when the strings are played.

When it is desired to change the stringing of the instrument from the metallic strings to gut strings, then the operator simply removes the bar 0 from the bridge A, and also removes the tail piece E and the metallic strings, and uses gut strings fastened in the usual manner to the head and to the pegs in the apertures.

It will further be seen that by using a tail piece in connection with the auxiliary bar or lever, as described, the strain on the resonating top of the instrument is transferred to the side of the latter, so that the top is not liable to warp, as is so frequently the case in ordinary guitars in which the strain of the strings is on the bridge and the latter has the tendency to draw the top of the instrument upward out of shape.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A guitar provided with bridge, an auxiliary bar secured to the said bridge in the rear of the bridge fret to engage the top of the strings and hold the same firmly over the bridge fret, and a tail piece secured to the guitar body and holding the rear ends of the strings, substantially as shown and described.

2. A guitar provided with a bridge having the usual bridge fret, and an auxiliary bar or lever secured to the said bridge in the rear of the said bridge fret, to engage the strings at the top, the bottom edge of the said auxiliary bar being below the top of the said bridge fret, substantially as shown and described.

3. A guitar provided with an auxiliary bar or lever adapted to be secured to the bridge in the rear of the bridge fret, the lower side of the said bar being formed with notches to 10 engage the strings, substantially as shown and described.

JOHN F. STRATTON.

Witnesses: v

'E. M. CLARK,

O. SEDGWIOK. 

